UCl Gravel World Series – Femke Markus holds off Rosa Klöser to win Gravel One Fifty for elite women

Dutch riders Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) and Jordan Habets (Metec-SolarWatt p/b Mantel) earned their first victories of the season Saturday at Gravel One Fifty.

The duo scored the wins on a home turf contest of the UCI Gravel World Series, qualifying for the UCI Gravel World Championships in October, which will be held in the Zuid-Limburg region of the Netherlands.

Markus outsprinted Rosa Klöser (Canyon) at the line, finishing the 150km course in a time of 4:24:56. Markus' WorldTour teammate Julia Kopecky put in time ahead of Tessa Neefjes (Giant Liv Benelux Off-road) to secure solo third, 5:21 back.

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"Really nice to ride a gravel race in between the road races. Suffered a lot today but really happy to win the sprint from the strong Rosa Klöser," Markus wrote on social media.

Klöser was looking for a third UCI Gravel World Series victory in three starts this summer, having won Eislek Gravel in Luxembourg and Hegau Gravel in Germany.

The 23-year-old Habets used a final acceleration on the pavement to drop 22-year-old Kamiel Notebaert (Lead Out Cycling Academy), finishing in 4:06:45. Notebaert crossed the line five seconds later for second. Defending men's champion Thomas Mein was another nine seconds back for third.

The 150km fast and flat race started and finished in Peize, looping through plains, forest and the rural surrounds via a network of dirt and gravel roads with grassed sections. The course was dry and fast this year, with Habets' time 20 minutes faster than Mein's time on a muddy track in 2024.

It was the fourth edition of the Dutch UCI qualifier in the Drenthe province. The next global qualifier event on the calendar is Gravel Grit n Grind, August 16 in Sweden. That event is part of a three-day stage race in Halmstad.

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